Ratings and Rantings

Hello everyone, once again it's time for your weekly dose of comic content comments, Ratings and Rantings. As always I'm your dashing, enjoyable and just plain awesome host, Jason Todd. This week's post includes another issue of one of my favorite series, Morning Glories, as well as Marvel's Amazing Spider-Man and a few DC mainstays. One thing I didn't pick up was Red Robin, I enjoy the series but the Unternet stuff hasn't been all that interesting to me so I'll pick it up after they stop dealing with that, hopefully next month. But with that out of the way, I shan't keep you waiting any longer, let's hop into the swing of things with one of the last few (Thank God..) issues of Brightest Day!

Brightest Day #22

We start things off with Ronnie and Jason united as Firestorm flying around space looking for Jason's dad, The Professor, The White Lantern and Deathstorm. We then find out bthe person who wanted the White Lantern all this time was none other than The Anti-Monitor. See, what's why people should care when one of the biggest baddies ever comes back to life. Idiots... Firestorm then arrives and the Lantern realizes it so it attacks the Anti-Monitor, and they join in as well. They attack the Anti-Monitor and manage to hurt him, then grab the White Lantern to free Mr. Rusch and Prof. Stein but their blasted by the Anti-Monitor which causes them to split back to their original bodies. Lucky for them that planet apparently has oxygen... Deathstorm then takes turns taking shots at Jason and Ronnie but the Anti-Monitor pretty much tells him to shut up until he discovers what the White Lantern took from him when it zapped him. Deathstorm gets bored so unleashes a gnarly ray (I couldn't resist.) at the Firestorm Boys but it's taken by Prof. Stein who sacrifices himself. Stein starts to turn into Salt, much like Jason's girlfriend did. The two boys turn into Firestorm and try to save him, even making him hold the White Lantern but it doesn't work. As Stein dies he tells Ronnie that he and Jason have the potential to be one of the greatest because he knows how well they are individually, he then tells Ronnie he wasn't like a son to him, he was a son to him before he turns into salt and explodes. The White Lantern then tells Ronnie he completed his mission... somehow even though it was "Ronald Raymond: You need to study..." Also, it gave a mission to Jason who was never dead... yet he still hasn't completed his... what?! Anyway, Firestorm lights up white and immediately disintegrates all the Black Lantern zombies including Deathstorm. It then magically transports him and Jason to the Starwood Forest on Earth with the Lantern. The Lantern tells them they had no chance against the Anti-Monitor so it transferred them back to Earth, and it also sent Jason's dad home safe and sound. The issue ends with Deadman confronting Firestorm, telling him to hand over the White Lantern. This issue had it's fair share of inconsistencies but I am wondering who the White Light Champion is so that's keeping me reading, I also hate how no ones gives a damn about the Anti-Monitor being back, and we also haven't seen Hawk or Boomerang do their White Lantern mission yet. I'll give this issue a 5/10.

Black Lanterns: Aaaiieeeee!!! (Because when all Black Lanterns die, they make that sound apparently.)

Amazing Spider-Man #656

We start things off with the new super-villain, Massacre, telling the cops his demands. They say they can't agree if he keeps killing hostages, which was the wrong answer. Massacre sets off a bomb that destroys the west wing of the bank and kills seven more hostages. Spidey is slinging across the city and hears the explosion and heads that way. Spidey swings in to ask the cops whats going on and his webbing hits plaster and not part of the building that can support his weight which causes Spidey who fly back first into a police car windshield, probably as a result of his loss of Spider-Sense. Spidey tries to approach the building to reason with Massacre but he says if Spider-Man and the cops don't leave the perimeter he'll blow up the remaining hostages. He then starts to shoot at Spidey who dodges them by luck, and then shoots a Spider-tracer onto the new bad guy. Surprisingly Spider-Man is then shot right through the stomach. Police Captain Yuri Watanabe runs up to Spidey and asking what happened, noting he never gets shot. He tells her he placed a Spider-tracker on Massacre and to let him go so they can pursue him later. After letting him go they remove the bomb vests from the hostages and track Massacre to the sewers. They see he's left a ton of explosives and had the chance to either go right, left or down a center tunnel, so they ask Spidey what the sensor says. He then remembers that he tracks them with his Spider-Sense and forgot in the heat of the moment. From there we see Spider-Man being patches up by Night Nurse, as she notes how he never gets shot as well. He then offers to pay her for helping now that he's making money, which shocks her as Spidey's always been Pro Bono for her. While Spidey's leaving, Paladin is in the waiting room watching the news blames him for the eight dead hostages and for letting Jameson's wife die. Spidey snaps and grabs Paladin by the throat and slams him against a wall, and Paladin apologizes and tells Spidey he needs to grow thicker skin, to which Spidey see's his armor and says maybe he does. We then see J. Jonah Jameson, he calls Robbie to tell him he's found more stuff on another story for Marla in the paper but Robbie tells him that the new big story is Massacre killing all those hostages. Jonah then goes to do a press conference on the murders. afterward he meets Liam, a little boy whose mother was killed by Massacre in the hostage situation. Jonah tells Liam he's decided that massacre is dead, as is Alistair Smythe, he then tells his employees he wants to bring back the Death Penalty for murderers, and there will be zero tolerance for them. Next we see Spidey talking about building a new Spider suit, and how he needs this in case someone else gets off a lucky shot, and also mentions making a new web fluid formula. Peter then leaves his lab and is coerced into meeting with his fellow nerds and co-workers who talk about a youtube video with a gerbil and a foosball table. Peter wastes no time snapping on them as he notes the recently dead hostages, but it blows up in his face when one of his co-workers respond asking him if he gets upset by every dead person around the world in Somalia and Haiti, or just the mostly white New Yorkers that just died. Peter walks off with Uatu (named after the Watcher) who mentions that they've been working on something already. He takes Peter into a room with Chief Watanabe and Max Modell and they introduce S.I.S. which is a new Suspect Identification System, which allows you to show it a picture and get a back story on pretty much anyone. We then see a case file from Massacre's time in an asylum. We find out he was a normal, happily married man who worked at a wall-street firm with his wife and when a car-bomb that was left for him by an upset customer killed his wife. A piece of shrapnel also pierced his skull which destroyed the part of his brain which houses values, ethics and morality. As they finish seeing a recap of his life, Captain Watanabe gets a call saying that Massacre was recently spotted on Wall Street, so she leaves, as does Peter. As Massacre stands there his hostages ask him why, and he says that Spider-Man needs to pay, he broke the rules he set as he holds the Spider-tracker that Spider-Man threw on him. As he waits for Spider-Man to arrive we then see J. Jonah Jameson as he once again repeats that Massacre is not to leave here alive. Spider-Man then arrives on the scene with a brand new armored black and yellow suit (Go Steelers?) and webs the bombs that are tied to the hostages. Massacre presses the detonator but Spidey says he webbed them in magnetic webbing which blocks all radio frequencies. Massacre then asks if it's bullet proof and opens fire on the hostages but Spidey stands in front of them and states that he is. Massacre then blows up the entire floor their on, but Spidey manages to save all the hostages. When Massacre pulls out a second detonator that will kill nine other hostages a block away, Spidey webs the detonator, which blocks the signal. Spidey then kicks Massacre square in the jaw and he stumbles near a blown out wall, the cops note that he is unarmed but they're told to take the shot anyway, and shockingly Spider-Man snatches him up and takes the shots. He then says he said no one dies, not even Massacre. Afterward, Jameson rips into Spidey and tells him how stupid he is to save him because he'll get right back out. Spider-Man says they are good guys, they don't get to play God and decides who dies, and if he gets out Spidey will be waiting because no one dies when he's around. The issue ends with Spidey vowing to do this, not for the people he's failed, but the people still living. Now THIS was a great issue, there's nothing I didn't like. Spidey's ups and downs, Spidey's determination, the great backstory for Massacre, this issue had everything. This issues gets a definite 10/10.

J. Jonah Jameson: I-I always thought you were a threat. A menace. But I was wrong about you. YOU'RE A @#%* IDIOT!

Power Girl #22

Superman + Power Girl + Dinosaurs = This issue. We get underway with our two Kryptonian Cousins taking on many different types of dinosaurs. During the fight the two can barely hear one another, they note that the Dinos are stronger that they should be, and even notice during the fight that Power Girl and Superman start bleeding, which is not something you see often from a Kryptonian. We then get a quick flashback to two weeks earlier where we see Power Girl's alter-ego, Karen Starr, and her employees at the Starrware re-opening. When Nicco questions Karen's happy mood she notes that all is fine and Max Lord has been named as the embezzler. Guess we haven't gotten to that part yet but ah well. Nicco then mentions his experiments were taken during the raid and Karen says she's already in the process of getting them back, which we see the government do, by taking back all of Nicco's experiments from Dr. Day, who vows that this isn't over. We then fast forward to earlier today and see Power Girl and Superman on top of the Daily Planet. She tells Superman how she's making Starrware a company that'll be releasing products and she's decided to be the face of the company. Superman notes that she isn't very good with keeping a secret identity so she pretty much asks him for help. Superman notes that if Kara gets up on TV with her figure, which makes me laugh because I know he means she'll be downloaded on every dude's computer in the universe, that it'll be harder for her to stay incognito. He tells her that unless she makes Karen Starr a real person, people will be able to tell very soon that Karen Starr and Power Girl are one in the same. Then we see some mysterious man in a hoody out on the streets of Metropolis, he thinks and is able to make numerous dinosaurs appear and attack the city. That brings us up to now, and we see Superman get eaten by a dinosaur, but he then punches his way out, which is awesome. He quickly realizes that these dinosaurs are magic, which is what caused him and Power Girl to bleed. The issue ends with our new mysterious villain revealing that he has his abilities and also has a certain superhero tied up and under his command. This was a fun issue of Power Girl, It didn't offer much but it can't really without spoiling too much of Generation Lost I'd assume, which is why the story takes place two weeks later. Either way, I'll give this issue a 8/10.

Superman: If you start getting up in front of cameras, making yourself a public figure... especially with your figure...

Power Girl:  Are you and me really going to have a conversation about my...

Morning Glories #8

We start out issue eight of Morning Glories with Hunter, our relatable nerd boy as a young kid, running home. He's about to cross the street without looking when he's stopped by what I assume to be a neighbor. He tells Hunter he needs to watch where he's going but a frantic Hunter mentions that he needs to be where his dad is gonna pick him up at, but he lost track of time. The helpful neighbor gives Hunter a nice gold watch and tells Hunter to keep it, but makes him promise to always look where he's going. We then jump forward to see Hunter in the library with Casey, watching her as she studies. Hunter, still wearing the Gold watch, takes this time to tell Casey he thinks they should go on a date. Casey tries to use a diplomatic approach to turning him down but Hunter catches wind and tries to act like he was joking, which creates more tension between the two. Casey then asks him if they did go on a date, where would they go, and Hunter pitches the idea of a picnic. After thinking, Casey agrees to the date which surprises both Hunter and myself. They make a plan to meet bu the apple tree at five for the picnic and she tells Hunter not to be late. From there we see Hunter in the halls listening to his iPod and singing loudly when he mistakenly bumps into another student named Chad. Hunter helps Chad pick up his things before heading to his room. Back at their bunks, Hunter tells Jun that Casey agreed to the date and he asks Jun to tell him when it's a quarter to five. Jun points out that Hunter's wearing a watch but he says neither watches or alarms due him much good. We then get a flashback to seeing Hunter being late to school and a former job, both at 8:13, so there may be something to that number. We then see Hunter missed his own mother's funeral and once again the time was 8:13, making it the fourth time 8:13 was mentioned in this issue. Back in the present we see Hunter trying different styles for his date when Jun tells him it's time. As soon as Hunter walks out of his room he encounter Chad from earlier with a friend and a completely different attitude. He seems pissed about earlier even though he was more than fine when Hunter mistakenly ran into him. The two friends are about to lay into Hunter when Jun walks by and Hunter calls him over. Jun walks over and asks what Hunter just called him, and when he repeats Jun's name, he decks him outta nowhere. We then get a flashback and see that Hunter saw a "professional" because every time he see's a clock when there's something he doesn't want to be late for it says 8:13, even when it's clearly not 8:13. He says he also can't hear alarms even though other people who are around can hear them just fine. We then find out this professional is just Hunter's health/gym teacher who can't really help Hunter, but gives him the number of someone who may be able to. He goes to see a specialist and gets a CAT Scan, and his doctor marvels at the results. She then has a gun pressed against the back of her head and is told to tell Hunter his test results are normal and to send him to a therapist. While seeing a therapist he looks at a clock that reads 8:13 which actually says 5:30. Back in the present, Chad, his friend, and Jun put a bag over Hunter's head and take him to the yard, as one of them refers to Jun as "The Captain". While Hunter's tied up he hears that the bully's plan on probably killing him, and that "one of the new girls" is upstairs. When told to grab her too we hear sounds of a fight and what I'd assume is someone being stabbed by something, we then see Hunter still tied up with a bag over his head in the greenhouse, as Casey is shown waiting by the apple tree. Casey is shown waiting for what seems like hours as Hunter tries to struggle free to no avail. Eventually it's night and Hunter is still tied up when Jun finds him, Hunter tries to explain what's happened to Jun with the three guys but Hunter's mask is removed to see Chad and his friend strung up with their stomachs cut open and "All will be free" written in their blood. Hunter tries to tell Jun about his doppleganger when Jun replies that he knows, it's his brother. Man, this was another GREAT issue. I mean, it started slow but the trauma and mystery of Hunter's 8:13 problem, the mystery of who killed the two boys, and or course the drama around Jun's brother. This remains as one of my favorite, if not my favorite ongoing series. I'll give this a 9/10 if only for the slow start and my disappointment at Hunter not getting his date.


Mr. Mackey: But Hunter, See, thing is I'm not a medical professional. I'm your heath teacher. Actually I'm your gym teacher, I just do the heath class so I can qualify for full-time salary.

And just like that we're all done! Thanks for joining me for this week's Ratings and Rantings, and I'll be back next week with more of my cavalcade of comic comments. As always the poll results from last week are below, so until next time I'm your friendly neighborhood Blogger-Man, Jason Todd, signing off!

Last week's poll asked "How do you feel about Flashpoint?"

Last Place with 0% - "I'll just read the main issues." Surprising...
Third Place with 10% - "I'm reading all of it."
Second Place with 40% - "I hate it already and it hasn't even started."
Winner with 50% - "I'll buy a few tie-ins."

Next Time on Ratings and Rantings

Green Lantern #64, Green Lantern Corps # 58, Justice League of America #54 (Maybe due to Doomsday) JL Generation Lost #22, and Deadpool #34